Here's one more reason to ditch a toxic work environment in favor of one where you actually like your co-workers: the latter may help you live longer, according to new research.

The researchers looked at medical records of 820 adults who were followed over 20 years. Controlling for other risk factors, they found that those who lived longest were ones who reported their co-workers helped solve problems and were friendly. Interestingly, support from supervisors had no effect on mortality.

For men in the study, having control and decision authority also increased lifespan. Conversely, control and decision authority increased the risk of mortality for the female participants. The researchers said this may be because most of the respondents in the study had blue-collar types of jobs where authority isn't typically held by women.

So, if you have nice and helpful co-workers, thank them for possibly helping you live longer! Photo by Editor B